PQ aide under fire for controversial articles on anglos and immigrants

QUEBEC CITY – Quebec’s immigration and language minister Diane De Courcy is facing criticism for her choice of political aide.

Akos Verboczy was a former commissioner for Westmount Cote-des-Neiges South school board who served as chairperson of the committee on intercultural relations and education for the Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM), one of the province’s largest school boards, before being hired as a political attache to the Parti Quebecois minister.

He’s now come under fire for two articles that he wrote for the Montreal newspaper Metro in 2012.

In one, entitled “Anglos are Crazy,” Akos Verboczy described Quebec’s anglophones as “paranoid” and “obsessive” about Quebec.

In another, which discussed “the perfect immigrant,”  Verboczy argued that the character in the Oscar-nominated film Monsieur Lazhar was the perfect “fantasy” immigrant.

“. . . they created a fantasy character. Lazhar is the perfect immigrant. Polite, respectful, educated, brave, quietly spoken, francophile, stoic in front of women, he spends his free time reading Hubert Aquin. Not the sort to claim places of work for prayer, to find Bill 101 inhuman or to drown his wife and children in a lock.”

While these articles may be considered controversial, it’s the author’s participation in the hearings reviewing the Parti Quebecois’ proposed new language law, Bill 14, that is drawing criticism.

“He should be fired,” said Liberal MNA for Jacques-Cartier Geoffrey Kelley.

“We’re dealing with issues that are sensitive. He sat in on all the hearings concerning Bill 14,” Kelley explained. 

“If the presentations made by groups from the Anglophone community, among others, are analyzed through this prism of contempt, I find it very troubling.”

The Coalition Avenir Quebec was also unequivocal.

“At the very least, Mrs. De Courcy should make it clear that she doesn’t back those opinions,” said CAQ leader Francois Legault.

However, DeCourcy is defending her choice of political aide. She said the criticism is a smoke screen and noted that the articles were written in September 2012, before Verboczy was hired.

The immigration minister said the complaints were just a way for the Liberals to distract voters from Bill 14. A filibuster by the Liberals is expected to delay the new language law by several weeks.

De Courcy maintained that the controversy was a cheap political ploy for the opposition to ask for Verboczy’s resignation.

“It’s okay to not like the article, or to like it if you want,” she said. “I’m sure there are people who liked it.”